Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-27
MAYOR SUSANNA SALTER.
The Only Female Mayor that America has
Ever Known,


Ever Known.
Argonia CKan) Letter to New York Sun
The traveller who may happen to step
of the cars at Argonia, Sumner county,
Kan will find typical prairie town of
500 inhabitants or less, and, with its
village depot, single business street OF
ragged one and two story frame stores,
dirt roads, plank sidewalks, simple cot
tages, general rural surroundings and
prohibition majority, possessing no visi-
ble feature 10 distinguish it greatly from
100 hamlets OF like population scattered
all over the thriving commonwealth OF
Kansas. And yet Argonia has become
famous above all its fellows as being the
only town in America which ever elected
q woman 20 the Office of mayor.
Kansas is nothing if not radical. Within
her borders was shed the first blood IN
the war for freedom. she YVES the first
state TO ratify the Fourteenth amendment
Sac was the leader in the fight for prohi-
bitioG, and her latest distinction is being
the first state in the Union to grant to the
women Of municipalities the right to vote
on all matters referred to popular SUI
frsge. This carried with it the right to
hold municipal otlice, and so it happened
that Mrs. Susanna Madeira Salter was
last spring elected Mayor OF Argonis,
that she qualified and is now endeavoring
| to petorm the duties CT that post. At the
same election the town OF Syracuse il Ham
liton county elected tive married ladies
to the council, the mayor being the only
masculine representative N the aaminis-
tration. Reports from Syracuse confirm
most natural decomposition. The
mayor and council Of that city are erjoy-
ing an era of good will seldom seen be-
tween the executive and legislatiIe
branches OF city government. At Ar
gonia the conditions are exactly reversed
and indications are that the situation is
in sympathy VITA the conditions.
Being in Southwestern Kansas and hay
irg heard something of Argonis's Chief
magistrate, l determined to spend Jew
hours in the little town and gam from
personal observation some knowledge
of the workings OF this latest "Ksnsss
idea" The avenue Of Information
| found open to all corners. An interview
with the Mayoress wss easily secured
and even obtained the further favor O.
photograph of Mrs. Sslter. This, made
by lady artist of Argonis, hardly doe!
the subject Justice, giving her an oldeI
and a severer look than she usually pos
| Sesses, although in the main it is more
truthful than lbelous. AS my visit fell
upon the day of the City Councils month
| ly meeting-and one of the Mayors du.
ties is 10 preside at the sessions OF city
fathers-I was privileged to see her in s
| position where she was clothed in alI The
dignity of her office, and thus view was
had OF her in all the capacities she fills 6!
wife, mother, citiZ IN and official.
In her intercourse with strangers Mrs
Salter is cordial, frank end disnihed
She is an easy, confident Snd rather rapi(
talker, speaking to the point and usually
using good English, but occssionsll,
lspslng into what has sometimes beer
termed in Kansas Governors English,
| it having been the fault of the good st
John in conversation to frequently empio,
such forms of expressions as ~ hav
went" 81 have saw" etc. Mrs. Sater il
now twenty-seven years of age. She i
about i've feet three and half inches il
height, is rather the reverse of plump
weighing about 1913 pounds, end is of
! quick, active temperament. Her eye
are dark gray, and her hair, which sh
wears parted in the center and "crimped,
is Cf a blonde shade. She dresse
neatly, but not extensively, making 81
her own clothes and also of her children
Of whom she has four, three boys and
girl baby-Clarance, eyed six Franci
Argonia (the first child born in til
town, aged four; Winfred, aged two an
one-half, and Melvina, one-year-old
Her history, as narrated by herself
differs little materially up to the time G
her election from that OF 8 thousand G
her sisters throughout America, who hav
toiled uncomplainingly through life c
domestic drudgery, contented and meas
urably happy in wearing away thei
lives in the service of those near an
dear to them. 81 am a home body,
Mrs. Salter said when asked if she wa
accustomed to attending conventions {
her sex throughout the state, "an
have only been 10 one convention
that of our county Woman's Cnristia
Temperance Union, oiiwhich order 20
will see | am member by observing tt
badge wear in my photograph. | neve
neglect my home duties, and, as l hav
never had a girl until since ny election
you may easily understand that have
time, even if had an inclination, to ri
around attending state conventions an
meetings" And whatever adverse crit
cisms are made of the Msyoress, he
townspeople all unite in giving her cred
for being an exemplary housewife an
mother, and for bringing up her childre
in the way they should go.